The sandwiches that have started a religion

As much as I love writing about food, I had never thought much of the idea of writing about a sandwich. Let’s be honest, sandwich does not exactly top my ‘interesting food’ chart. I have, however, decided to write about sandwich today, except that I am not just writing about ANY sandwich – I am talking about sandwiches from the BEST sandwich joint in the known (and possibly also the unknown) universe. They come from a little hidden-away shop in the Sydney CBD, whose name, products and reputation, go far beyond its humble shop front: ‘Big Bite on Pitt’. My discovery of the best sandwich shop in the world was purely accidental, and to this day, I am convinced the ONLY two ways to find out about it, is via (a) word of mouth, and (b) accidental discovery. When I was working near the shopping strip in the Sydney CBD, I had walked past lunch-goers queuing outside of a little sandwich shop, tucked away in an old arcade, during lunch time many times, but never bothered to investigate – I had never been satisfied with just a sandwich for lunch. One day, I took the liberty of asking one of the lunch-goers in the queue what the big fuss was about. I still remember the answer distinctively: “They have awesome sandwiches, I come here every day!” Wow! I had never heard anyone speak so passionately about a SANDWICH before, so I better give it a go, I thought! I did, and I have been going there for lunch twice a week since. People talk, and as they do, a religion is underway, and here is why:

1.      You are NOT going to find a sandwich bigger than the ones you get at Big Bite on Pitt. Even someone like me with a stomach as large as the great canyon, has trouble finishing the entire sandwich on a good day. For AUD$9.5, you basically get enough sandwich for two satisfying lunches, on home-baked brown or white bread, with a generous amount of mouth-watering fillings of your choice, and enough salad to earn a couple of heart foundation ticks. If you give the lovely people at Big Bite a smile and tell them how much you love their sandwiches, there is a 50% chance they may throw in a slice of their more-ish cakes for free

2.      You are NOT going to find a more delicious sandwich anywhere else. Their sandwiches are FAR from being ‘pedestrian’ – they are addictive, to say the least, thanks to the wide range of juicy fillings, from the more common sandwich fillings such as ham and turkey, to the daily special fillings such as lemon-pepper chicken, spicy chicken, burrito beef, lamb that is carefully and lovingly marinated in garlic and herbs, sticky Italian sausages, and perfectly-crumbed and juicy veal schnitzel. My absolute favorite is the marinated lamb, served with a creamy yogurt and parsley dressing, and loads of salad, on brown bread. The sensation of biting into the tender and flavorsome lamb, coated in yogurt dressing, refreshing herby salad, and brown bread that is delightfully crusty on the outside, and sublimely soft on the inside, is as satisfying and comforting as a bowl of hot soup on a cold winter day, a refreshing mango lassi on a steamy hot summer afternoon, an embrace from your lover…mmm…joy-gasmic!

3.      Apart from the quality and quantity of the sandwiches, you are also going to get the friendliest and the most generous service, often not offered at other sandwich joints. I often request extra salad on my sandwich, and every now and then, I am lucky enough to get a slice of carrot cake for free.

I think you get the idea here: next time you feel like lunch in the sun with a friend, or just a really good take-away, take A BIG BITE sandwich with ya (or two, if you feel extra confident/hungry). Oh, did I mention from 250 Pitt St?

I love K-town!

Korea is taking over the world by storm: from K-pop to K-food, it seems that the world just can't get enough of what Korea has to offer. As a huge Korean food fan, I have recently discovered the wonderful world of Korean food in the Sydney CBD, in an area known as 'K-town'. Wandering down the streets in K-town is an eye-opening journey in its own right, as you find yourself drawn to all sorts of unusual foods of all shapes and sizes. After nibbling on bits and pieces from here and there along the way in K-town, I found myself craving Korean pancake and stumbled across 'Bon Gal Bi Korean BBQ Restaurant' on Pitt St (LG 375 Pitt St). The aroma drew me in like a magnet, and I knew instantly that it is the right place for something authentic-a cozy little restaurant packed with Korean diners, serviced by friendly Korean waitresses. The menu was deceivingly simply, but I was glad to see a restaurant that is dedicated to perfecting a few dishes, as opposed to over-doing it. I went straight to what I wanted: Korean seafood pancake. I was surprised to see that for only $13, I got a HUGE pancake jeweled with REAL seafood: chunks of juicy squid, tender prawns and the biggest mussels I had ever seen. The pancake was soft, with a slight chew on the inside, and crispy on the outside. While it tasted great on its own, it got even better with the dipping sauce and side dishes (oh, did I mention that they were free?). I kept on telling myself to carefully savor every mouth-full, but found myself devouring the sizeable pancake in a matter of minutes, despite the fact that I had already downed 3 Chinese pancakes, 8 king prawns and a couple of beers less than an hour earlier! The end of the pancake marked the beginning of many more culinary discoveries at K-town, and I walked out of the restaurant, already planning my next stroll to K-town: plan of attack being: no breakfast, no lunch!

Where Not to Eat - Tino's Italian restaurant in Woolooware

I have had many disappointing dining experiences over the years in Australia and overseas, but never considered taking the time to write them down until I started this blog in late 2011. Before I get to the real story about Tino's Italian resteaurant in Woolooware, I need to tell you a little story about Woolooware. Woolooware is a suburb in the Sutherland Shire in NSW, Australia, just around the corner from Cronulla, the popular seaside-suburb in Sydney South. Woolooware, being in the Sutherland Shire, has a predominately-anglo population, and the food there is about as 'vanilla' as its people. To put it simply, anything that isn't steak and chips OR fish and chips, would be considered 'exotic cuisine' in the Shire. A few months ago, a group of friends took me to this Italian restaurant called 'Tino's' in Woolooware that they had been raving about for dinner one Saturday. I was excited and terrified at the same time, because (1) I hadn't had many dining experiences in the Shire worth writing home about, (2) I was slightly worried that my culinarily-naive friends would order something truly terrifying. As much as I kept on telling myself everything was going to be fine, and I was going to have an unexpectedly-good meal, all of my worries were realised. Where do I start? hmm, let's start from the Dukkah the 'committee' ordered as an entree. First of all, there is something odd about ordering Dukkah in an Italian restaurant to begin with (given its middle-eastern origin), even for fusion-food fans like me. When the Dukkah arrived, I was speechless: what was presented to me was a very small quantity of Dukkah (so small I could practically count each seed with 10 fingers), a bowl of pale-looking olive oil that looks like it's 10th press, and a mountain of bread. You do not need to be a math genuis to know that the ratio is way out, and a foodie to know that it will be dry and tasteless. The only thing, other than the tasteless oil, to help down the dry bread was my own saliva, and the only thing I had to add a little taste to the dry bread and tasteless oil was a few seeds and strands of herbs I found stuck between my teeth. I got myself extra Dukkah (and an evil stare) after I complaint to the waitress/restaurant owner that we needed more Dukkah, and the olive oil was of poor quality. After the terrible entree, everything was further downhill from there. I had a seafood pasta for main. The quantity was generous, and that's the only nice thing I have to say about it. The seafood was overcooked, the sauce was bland/underseasoned, and too sour for my pallet, and the pasta was overcooked.

Long story short, I walked into Tino's, hoping to get a good Italian feed, and ended up getting a bad middle-eastern Dukkah entree and bland pasta for main. I walked away, thinking, this restaurant is going on my Where-Not-To-Eat list.

Fish taco-modern mexican

Fish Taco-'Tex-Mex’ 

Ingredients (serves 4-5):

• ·        For the fish and marinade

      4-5 firm white fish filets, boneless (I use hoki in this recipe)
2-3 tbsp olive oil
¼ cup fresh lime juice
Pinch of salt and pepper
2 tbsp chopped coriander
1 tsp of cayenne pepper powder

1 tsp of cumin powder

1 clove of garlic, minced

• ·         For the cabbage salad

      1 red onion, thinly sliced
¼ cup coriander, coarsely chopped
2 cups freshly shredded white cabbage

• ·         For the sauce

      1 cup light sour cream
1/3 cup plain yogurt
1 tsp cayenne pepper powder (or to taste)
1 tbsp lime juice
Pinch of salt and pepper (to taste)

• ·         For the salsa and dressing

      1 cup chopped red tomatoes
½ cup chopped red onion
Minced jalapeno (to taste)
½ cup chopped coriander

Half a can of corn kernels

4 red radishes, diced finely
Juice of 1 lime

1 large clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
Pinch of cumin
Pinch of salt and pepper (to taste)

• ·         4-8 flour or corn tortillas (depending on how hungry you are)

• ·         Avocado, sliced

• ·         Tabasco sauce.

Method: 

1.  Place the fish fillets in a large, shallow dish and brush with olive oil. Pour over lime juice, add a sprinkle of salt, chopped coriander, garlic, cumin and cayenne pepper. Allow the marinade to infuse the fish for 30 minutes - 2 hours in the fridge
2. In the meantime, toss the cabbage salad ingredients together - shredded cabbage with red onion and coriander
3. For the salsa, mix the chopped tomato, onion, corn, radishes, chilli and coriander together in a large bowl. Mix garlic, lime juice, salt, pepper and olive oil until the mixture emulsifies.  Dress the salsa with the mixture. Add a pinch of cumin and hot pepper powder, and stir through. Mix well and set aside
4. For the sauce, in a small bowl, mix together - sour cream, yoghurt, chilli and cumin powder, lime juice, salt and pepper. Set aside
5. Preheat a grill pan to medium to medium high. Sprinkle more olive oil on the fish and place the fish seasoning side down to cook. Sprinkle a little more cayenne pepper on the top side of the fish and cook for about 2-3 minutes per side or until the fish is cooked through (when the white protein comes out of the fish, that is a sign the inside is cooked)
6. Remove the fish to a clean platter, allow it to rest 5-10 minutes and then slice into thick strips 
7. Heat the tortillas by placing them on the barbeque grill for about a minute each side
8. To serve, for each taco, place a warm tortilla on a plate, add a few chunks of fish, drizzle with the creamy sauce, and add a handful of salsa and cabbage salad. Oh, almost forgot to mention, there is no ‘elegant’ way of eating a soft taco, so open wide!! :-D

Teriyaki salmon with Japanese coleslaw

Ingredients (serves 4):

·         1 part light soy sauce

·         1 part mirin

·         1 part cooking sake

·         1/3-1/2 part caster sugar (to taste)

·         1 clove garlic, bruised/lightly crushed (optional)

·         4 salmon fillets (around 800 g)

·         Vegetable oil

·         Grated diakon and/or shredded shallots for garnish

Method:

1. Mix the soy sauce, mirin, cooking sake, sugar and garlic. Note: the quantity depends on how much sauce you want to make. The important thing is the ratio of the sake, mirin, soy sauce and sugar. Leave the salmon to marinate in the mixture for 15-30 minutes (note: the longer you leave it in the marinade, the more intense the flavour will be). Meanwhile, thinly slice the shallots lengthways. Transfer to a container of iced water. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes or until the shallot curls (optional)
2. Heat lightly-oiled heavy-based non-stick pan on high. Pan-fry the salmon (if with skin on, cook skin down first) on both sides, brushing occasionally with teriyaki marinade until cooked as desired. Note: when the white protein comes out of the fish, that is when the fish is cooked through. Set aside the cooked salmon
3. Pour in the reserved marinade and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, or until sauce becomes glossy, luster and thickened
4. Serve salmon with garnish, steamed Japanese rice (sushi rice or any short-grain rice) and Japanese coleslaw (see recipe below).

Ingredients for the Japanese coleslaw (serves 4-6):

Ingredients:

·         1/6 of a small red cabbage, shredded

·         1/6 of a small white cabbage, shredded

·         1 carrot, shredded

·         1 shallot, chopped finely

·         1/6 of a Spanish/red onion, shredded

·         Japanese mayonnaise to taste

·         fresh orange juice

·         Salt and white pepper to taste

Method:

1. Mix the shredded cabbages, carrot and Spanish onion and finely chopped shallot in a salad bowl
2. Whisk Japanese mayonnaise and orange juice together in a bowl to form a salad dressing consistency. Note: a lighter salad dressing would suit the rich teriyaki sauce, so make sure not to overload with mayo. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add to the cabbage mixture and toss to combine. Voila!

Sushi and Onigiri-how to apply a firm yet gentle touch to cooking

Sushi rolling is based on a simple yet philosophical principle: one needs to apply firm, yet gentle force in order to produce the best outcome. The secret to making beautifully-rolled spiral sushi comes down to one's ability to be patient, organised, assertive and gentle-food for thought while you enjoy a home-made sushi roll?

Ingredients:

1.       Sushi rice

o       6-7 cups sushi rice

o       1-1 ½ cup (around 150ml) sushi vinegar (alternatively, you can use 1 cup of rice vinegar, dissolved with around 2 ½ tbsp sugar and 1tsp salt)

Wash rice well in cold water and soak in fresh water for 30 minutes to get rid of the excess starch.  Steam the rice in a rice cooker for best results. When cooked, cover with a damp cloth and leave to cool for 15 minutes, or until rice is just warm. Spread the rice in a large, flat-bottomed bowl or tub (preferably wood). Use a rice paddle or a plastic spatula to slice through the rice to break up the lumps and separate the grains. Gradually pour the sushi vinegar evenly over the rice (note: not all the sushi vinegar may be required, as the rice should not become too wet or mushy). Mix in well with a cutting action, being careful not to squash the rice. Fan the rice until it is almost cool. The cooled rice should have a glossy appearance, and the rice grains should be slightly sticky but still separate. The rice should take on a mild sushi vinegar flavour. Keep the rice covered with a damp cloth to stop it from drying out while other ingredients are being prepared.

2.       Nori (roasted seaweed sheet)

3.       Fillings

·         Marinated pork belly (note: pork belly is best for Onigiri, as the fat keeps the meat moist)

o       Pork belly, thinly sliced

o       1 part soy sauce

o       1 part sugar

o       Grated garlic to taste

·         Japanese omelette

o       6-7 large eggs, beaten

o       50ml dashi stock (dissolve dashi powder in boiling water)

o       1-2 tbsp sugar

o       1-1 ½ tbsp light soy sauce

o       1 tsp mirin

Mix the dashi, sugar, mirin and soy sauce in a saucepan and heat until the sugar dissolves. Pour in with the beaten eggs.

Pour in ½ of the egg mixture in a non-stick pan (ideally a square non-stick pan). When the egg mixture is set, push the cooked egg mixture to the side and pour in ½ of the remaining egg mixture. When the second batch is cooked, roll the first batch of the mixture over the second batch, and push to the side. Pour in the remaining egg mixture and repeat the same process. The end product should be a layered omelette ‘roll’. Use a bamboo sushi mat to shape the omelette, cut off the ends, and cut into thick slices.

·         Cooked shitake mushrooms

o       10 dried shiitake mushrooms

o       1.5 tbsp sugar

o       3 tbsp soy sauce

o       1 tbsp sake

Soak dried mushrooms in warm water until soft. Slice thinly. Pour 50ml of the soaking liquid into a pot. Add soaked mushrooms, sugar, soy sauce and sake and cook until all the liquid evaporates.

·         Cooked prawns, butterflied

·         Cucumber, de-seeded and cut into batons

·         Canned tuna, drained

·         Japanese mayonnaise

·         Wasabi

·         Avocado, peeled and cut into strips

·         Pickled daikon, cut into batons

4.       Pickled ginger to serve

5.       Soy sauce and/or wasabi for dipping

Spiral rolls method:

1. Place a nori sheet lengthways across the bamboo mat, shiny-side down.
2. Wet hands with vinegar and spread a layer of rice evenly on the nori sheet without squashing the rice grains (note: do not overload with rice, or the sushi roll would burst). Leave a border of 1-2cm along the long edge of the nori sheet, on the opposite side
3. Place fillings of your choice in the centre of the rice (note: do not overload, or the sushi roll would burst)
4. Wet the exposed nori edge with vinegar to moisten slightly (optional)
5. Use the bamboo mat to roll tightly, applying firm but gentle pressure, into a cylinder. Wet a shape knife and slice into rounds
6. Serve with pickled ginger, wasabi and/or soy sauce.

Tuna mayonnaise and pork belly Onigiri (Japanese rice ball) method:

1. Mix drained canned tuna with Japanese mayo and wasabi, set aside
2. Grill the marinated pork, set aside
3. Place sushi rice on the palm of your hand, put a dent in the centre, and have the filling of your choice rolled inside. Form the rice ball into a flat round shape and wrap the rice ball with a long strip of toasted nori. Onigiri comes in different shapes and sizes, and there is plenty of room for your imagination!

Prawn handmade sushi method:

Mould the sushi rice into a small oval, then hand press a butterflied prawn on top. Note: the size of the oval should be bite-size, as sushi should always be eaten whole, in one piece.

The best dumplings in Sydney are found in Ashfield

I love Chinese dumplings-the boiled, steamed, deep-fried and pan-fried. Dumpling is carb, protein and fiber in one perfect little parcel. While I have been to many restaurants that charge big bucks for mediocre Chinese dumplings, there is one place that I can't stop going back to, for both culinary and economic reasons-the dumplings there are addictive, to say the least, and the price tag is negligible compared to the quality and quantity you are getting. And no, the place is not some fancy well-decorated restaurant in the City, it is a small and humble diner on the main drag in Ashfield (for those international readers, it is a suburb in Sydney). Don't be put off by its idiotically generic name: "Chinese Dumpling Restaurant" (located at 355 Liverpool Rd, Ashfield, Sydney), as most Chinese restaurant owners seem to be too busy cooking to care about the name of their restaurant. The regulars are certainly not put off by the name at all, as the tiny diner is always packed to the ceiling everytime I am there. The food is deceivingly good, especially given the price. For AUD$7.5, you get 16 boiled home-made dumplings, and for AUD$8.5, you get 12 pan-fried dumplings. I always go straight to the pan-fried ones, as the crispy bottom, perfectly-steamed top and juicy filling always get the better of me. 10 seconds later, I find myself having wolfed down a dozen dumplings and wanting more. Luckily, there is always plenty of dumpling vinegar to keep my digestive system going! BRING ON ANOTHER DOZEN, I SAY! 

Bulgogi-grilled beef with a twist

As a carnivore, I love my beef dearly. While I do love a good ol' steak and chips, sometimes I just crave something a bit more...interesting, if you will. Bulgogi is a simple Korean grilled marinated beef dish, commonly eaten in a lettuce roll with kimchi, Doenjang (Korean fermented soybean paste), rice and other side dishes and condiments. The secret to tender and sweet beef is in the marinade. Can you spot the secret ingredient in Bulgogi?

Bulgogi, served with lettuce, kimchi, Doenjang (Korean fermented soybean sauce) and steamed rice

Ingredients for Bulgogi (serves 4-6):

• 600 grams scotch fillet (or other lean cuts of beef)
• ¾ cup light soy sauce
• ¼ cup water
• 40 grams caster sugar
• 2 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 nashi/Asian pear
• 1 large onion (brown or white)
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• Black pepper and salt to taste
• 1 brown or white onion, sliced
• Shallots, sliced

Method:

1. Slice the beef as thin as possible. Add in soy sauce, water, sugar, garlic, salt and black pepper. Puree the pear and onion in a blender and add to the marinade. Leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes
2. Add sesame oil to the marinade right before grilling. Note: add the sesame oil earlier if you prefer a stronger sesame oil flavour
3. Heat a lightly-oiled heavy based grill pan or non-stick pan on high heat. Cook the marinated beef (minus the marinade) for around 2-3 minutes. Add a little marinade so that the beef would not dry out. Add sliced onion and cook for a minute or two, until the onion starts to collapse. Add sliced spring onion before turning off the heat
4. Serve bulgogi hot with a small amount of steamed rice, kimchi and a small amount of fermented soybean paste on a lettuce leaf. Roll up and enjoy! Note: it is considered rude in Korean etiquette to bite into the lettuce roll, so make sure your lettuce roll is small enough to fit into one mouth full!

Teriyaki chicken-simple, healthy, exotic and delicious

Chicken Teriyaki served with rice and Japanese coleslaw

Ingredients for the teriyaki chicken (serves 4):

·         6 tbsp light soy sauce

·         6 tbsp of mirin

·         6 tbsp cooking sake

·         4-6 tbsp of caster sugar (depending on how sweet you like your teriyaki)

·         1 clove garlic, bruised/lightly crushed 

·         4 large chicken thighs, diced

Method:

1. Mix the soy sauce, mirin, cooking sake, sugar and garlic. Leave the diced chicken to marinate in the mixture for 10-15 minutes
2. Saute the marinated chicken (minus the marinade) in a non-stick pan on medium high heat for a minute or two, or until they are slightly cameralised on the outside
3. Pour the teriyaki marinade over the chicken pieces in the pan and bring to the boil, then turn the heat down to medium to medium low so the mixture simmers. Cook with the lid for 5-6 minutes, or until the chicken pieces are cooked through
4. Remove the cooked chicken pieces with a slotted spoon and turn the heat up to reduce the sauce to a glossy, luster and slightly thickened teriyaki sauce
5. Return the cooked chicken back to the teriyaki sauce and toss well to make sure the chicken pieces are well coated. Serve with steamed Japanese rice (sushi rice or any short-grain rice) and Japanese coleslaw (see recipe below).

The juicy chicken coated in the glossy and thick Teriyaki sauce is best served with steamed rice and a refreshing Japanese coleslaw or salad, as the rice soaks up every drop of the flavoursome sauce, and the coleslaw freshens the palate and provides a much-needed tang to the dish. Also try Teriyaki salmon.

Ingredients for the Japanese coleslaw (serves 4-6):

Ingredients:

• 1/6 of a small red cabbage, shredded
• 1/4 of a small white cabbage, shredded
• 1 carrot, shredded
• 1 shallot, chopped finely
• 1/6 of a Spanish/red onion, shredded (optional)
• Japanese mayonnaise
• fresh orange juice
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Mix the shredded cabbages, carrot and Spanish onion and finely chopped shallot in a salad bowl
2. Whisk Japanese mayonnaise and orange juice together in a bowl to form a salad dressing consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add to the cabbage mixture and toss to combine. Voila!

Emma’s Japchae-korean comfort food

Emma’s Japchae (note: the picture below depicts a chicken Japchae)

Ingredients (serves 4):

• 150 grams scotch fillet or any other lean cuts of beef
• 250 grams Japchae sweet potato noodles (around half a packet, however, you can put in more and less noodles, depending on your liking)
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 large carrot (or two small carrots), julienned
• 1 large green or red capsicum, cut into thin strips
• 6 small dried shitake mushrooms, rehydrated in warm water for 1 hour, and cut into thin strips
• 2-3 Chinese black fungus, rehydrated in warm water for 1 hour and cut into thin strips
• 2 shallots, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced

Sauce for the noodles:

• 4-5 tbsp light soy sauce (to taste)
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp of sugar

 Ingredients for the beef marinade:

• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp of sesame oil
• 1 tbsp of caster sugar
• 4 tbsp of light soy sauce
• Black pepper

 Method:

1. Cut the beef into thin strips and marinate in garlic, sesame oil, caster sugar, light soy sauce and black pepper for 30 minutes
2. Marinate the sliced shitake mushrooms with a pinch of sugar, a drizzle of light soy sauce and sesame oil, set aside
3. Cook the sweet potato noodles in boiling water for 5 minutes (or according to the packet instruction). Rinse in cold water well and drain well. Cut noodles with a pair of scissors. Add the sauce for the noodles and mix well. Set aside
4. Stir-fry the vegetables separately (one ingredient at a time) in a lightly oiled non-stick pan on high heat with a pinch of salt (to help draw the liquid out and help the vegetables collapse faster) and set aside
5. Stir-fry the shitake mushrooms and black fungus, and set aside
6. Stir-fry the marinated beef with garlic on high heat for a couple of minutes and set aside
7. Stir-fry the noodles for a couple of minutes on high heat to allow it to absorb the flavour and colour of the sauce mixture. Put the stir-fried noodles in a large bowl and mix with the cooked beef, vegetables and mushrooms. Add more light soy sauce, sugar and sesame oil to taste (it is a little like ‘salad dressing’ to this noodle dish, as the soy sauce, sugar and sesame oil help bring everything together. Make sure to taste before adding more in order to adjust the quantity to personal preference) while the noodles and other cooked ingredients are still warm. Mix well
8. Serve warm or cold, on its own or with steamed rice and Kimchi. The noodles should be glossy, shiny, soft and slightly chewy. Note: you can add English spinach, strips of omelette, Chinese broccoli, seafood and/or a variety of Asian mushrooms, and substitute beef with chicken or pork in this very ‘forgiving’ recipe. When it comes to what you put in Japchae, the sky is the limit!

Spicy, snaky and porky

I always believe that in order for one to learn the authentic flavours from a culture, it is best to go straight to members of that culture and watch how they cook what they eat, as many popular and traditional home-cooked dishes are not found in restaurants. This popular Chinese dish is not a restaurant regular, like many westernized dishes such as sweet and sour pork with pineapple, fried rice with bacon and peas, and so on, but it is one of the most popular home-cooked dishes for the Chinese-it is spicy, snaky and porky, just the way we like it! This quick and delicious dish, served with steamed rice, makes a perfect weeknight dinner, as it is not only quick to make, but also well-balanced with protein (from the pork and tofu) and vegetable (snake beans). This is how I cook my spicy stir-fried snake beans and pork:

Ingredients (serves 4):

• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp dark soy
• 1 tsp corn flour
• 500 g snake beans, trimmed and cut into 5-6cm length (note: snake beans are firmer and more difficult to break down than green beans, hence they need to be cooked twice)
• 2 large cloves of garlic, chopped or minced
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 300 g pork mince
• 2-3 pieces of five-spice tofu cakes, cut into strips (note: five-spice tofu cakes are widely available in all Asian grocers. They add texture and body to this dish)
• 2 tsp fermented chili bean sauce (Doubanjiang) OR black bean in chili oil (note: the one on the left in the picture is the black bean sauce in chili oil, and the one on the right is Doubanjiang. Both sauces are widely available in Asian grocers. I personally prefer the black bean sauce in chili oil in this dish)

Method:

1. Heat vegetable oil in a wok on high. Add half of the beans and stirfry for 1-2 minutes. Cover the wok with a lid and cook the beans for further 6-7 minutes, or until tender and slightly brown (note: stir every minute or two to ensure that the beans are cooked evenly). Remove the cooked beans and drain. Add more oil and repeat the same process to cook the remaining beans. Set aside the cooked beans
2. Heat oil on high. Add garlic and shallot and stir-fry for 1 minute, or until fragrant. Add pork mince, five-spice tofu strips and chili black bean sauce (note: do not put in too much chili oil, or the dish would become too oily) and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes, or until the pork mince is cooked
3. Return beans to the wok. Combine and mix vinegar, soy, corn flour and 2-3 tbsp of water. Add the mixture to the wok to bring everything together and form a sauce. Stirfry for another minute or so, until the sauce coats all the beans, tofu and pork
4. Serve with steamed rice and garnish with some chopped shallots.

The beauty of one-pot cooking-Sukiyaki

A few years ago, I went back to Japan to visit family friends. We were invited to stay with Mr. S and his family. It was a real honour to be invited to stay with Mr. S and family, as the Japanese do not easily invite people to stay at their home. Mr. S's wife is a wonderful cook (like most older Japanese women), and she cooked dinner for us every night. One day, she told us she was going to cook something special for us for dinner, and I was excited. When we got home that night, I was instantly drawn to that ‘special dinner’ I had been promised. I rush to the dining room to find her preparing ingredients for Sukiyaki-a traditional Japanese hot pot. It had been a while since I had authentic sukiyaki, so I was positively excited. Sukiyaki is a traditional Japanese hotpot-one of the easiest, yet most delicious one-pot wonders. It is essentially thinly-sliced beef with various vegetables, Asian mushrooms, firm tofu and gelatinous noodles (shirataki noodles) braised in a sukiyaki sauce, and dipped in raw egg before eaten. Mrs. S fried thinly-sliced Japanese Kobe beef in a dry pan on medium heat, as the fat released from the marbled Kobe beef lubricates the meat and keeps it moist. She then carefully added shitake and enoki mushrooms, chopped Chinese cabbage, shirataki noodles and firm tofu into the same pan, and fried them for a minute or two before adding the sukiyaki sauce. Sukiyaki sauce is made by simply mixing mirin, light soy sauce, sugar and cooking sake (or you can purchase ready-made sukiyaki sauce from any Japanese supermarket). The beef, mushrooms, vegetables, noodles and tofu are gently braised, covered, in the sweet sukiyaki sauce until all the ingredients are tender and cooked through. As the recipe is very forgiving, you can practically throw in whatever thinly-sliced meats and chopped vegetables you fancy. While traditionally Kobe beef is the main meat ingredient in sukiyaki, I do not see anything wrong with thinly-sliced chicken or pork. Sukiyaki is usually cooked in a traditional sukiyaki pan, on a gas stove put at the centre of the dining table. You fish out the cooked ingredients, piping hot out of the pan, and dip them in a whisked raw egg before eating. While the idea of eating raw eggs is not particularly appetizing, in this case, the raw egg is partially cooked by the heat coming from the piping-hot ingredients, and serves as a 'silky' dipping sauce. Sukiyaki, like other hotpot dishes, is more than just a dish-it is a social institution that brings family and friends together. Nothing beats sitting around the table with loved ones, sweating to piping-hot sukiyaki, and drinking warm sake on a cold winter night. So for your next dinner party, ditch the old-school-3-course approach and let the one-pot approach shine!